Design Strategies for Podium and Wrapper Buildings

Hord Coplan Macht recognizes and has responded to our client’s desires to create high-density, multi-family projects that harmonizes into the urban context. Very often the project’s viability requires the integration of mixed-uses all within a single building. Aside from residential, these uses often include retail, restaurant, office and structured parking. A cost effective means to achieve this is through podium and wrapper buildings. While designing these complex projects, we have identified an opportunity to answer our clients’ questions on some of the design strategies that can be used for these mixed-use buildings. In an effort to further educate our clients on design strategies, this white paper identifies the opportunities and challenges that the building code provides for podium and wrapper buildings, while also identifying some additional design challenges of the buildings and construction types we have encountered through our experience.